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LisRobin equestrian team competes in 1st IEA school-sponsored horse show at Stanford

Extending beyond the common horse-schooling show format, the Valley’s LisRobin Horse Farm’s equestrian center – under the direction of Sonoma riding teacher Tiana Wells – recently formed a team of upper- and middle-school students to compete in school-sponsored Interscholastic Equine Association horse shows.

The IEA national organization’s horse shows offer a different format for teams of student riders, who do not bring their own horses, but have to ride horses supplied by the hosting school, with a random drawing correlating a horse to a rider for the competition.

This horse-show approach challenges the students to ride horses they’ve never ridden in zone competition leading to the national finals, which levels the playing field by having riders judged strictly on their horsemanship.

Though many of the student equestrian teams represent their local schools, it is not an IEA requirement to be affiliated with a school to compete, which opened the barn door for the LisRobin student-riders, who, while not officially linked to their Valley schools, were still able to create their own Sonoma horse-riding club.

The newly formed LisRobin Farm equestrian team recently competed in its first IEA school-sponsored show – featuring 140 upper- and middle-school student-riders – which was hosted by Stanford Red barn and Woodside Priory Schools, and took place at Stanford University in Palo Alto. 

Leading the way for Sonoma’s LisRobin student-riders in the upper-school division was Devin Bacon, who claimed first-place in junior varsity novice on the flat, and took jayvee fourth-place in over fences; and Sachi Spaulding, who rode to a jayvee fourth-place on the flat and sixth over fences.

In the middle-school division, the LisRobin Valley student-riders were led by Trevor Martinelli’s first-place future rider on the flat; Lydia Griggs-Demmin’s first-place future novice over fences; Louise Murphy’s sixth-place future rider on the flat; Velsea Warton’s sixth-place future novice over fences; and Ally Smith’s sixth-place future novice on the flat.

For more information on the IEA nationally school-sponsored shows, go online at wwwinterscholasticequine.

Anyone interested in competitive riding for LisRobin Horse Farm on Carriger Road (owned by John and Barbara Shine), including the school-showing and student-rider teams, equestrian lessons only, or for more details, call Wells at 328-5475.